Conventionally, it has been difficult to weave a fabric from a very weak fiber, especially monofilaments of fine gold, an extrafine fiber, or an extra-weak fiber. Fabric woven from monofilaments of noble metal, especially fabric woven from monofilaments of fine gold, can be expected to semi-permanently retain its original luster and beauty and demand a high price as a material for ornaments. Attempts have therefore been made to produce such fabric from many years ago. Non-patent document 1 describes the structure of an apparatus for manufacturing a fabric and a method for manufacturing a fabric. Further, the Patent Document 1 discloses a method for weaving a fabric from monofilaments of noble metal and an apparatus for weaving the same.
[Non-Patent Document 1] “Machine Weaving” (the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, Jikkyo Shuppan, Feb. 25, 1959, p.p 14–193)
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-4150
However, by using the method disclosed by the Patent Document 1, it is not possible to weave a fabric from an arbitrary weak fiber, since the method sets a limit on the tensile strength of the fiber to be woven. In this specification, the term “noble metal” will be used to generally refer to metals such as gold, silver, platinum, iridium, and various alloys containing them in combination.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide method for manufacturing a fabric and an apparatus for manufacturing a fabric that enable weaving of weak fibers including monofilaments of noble metals such as 24-carat gold.